8Bit/Digi

Whena Yousa Thinking We are in Trouble?

I’m not a big Star Wars fan and I didn’t like the Episode 1 movie, save for a few key parts, but I often find that licensed games of films that annoy me will sometimes help bring me around on the property as a whole. However, that was not the case when I rented STAR WARS Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles. I also play a lot of remasters and ports, I kind of love them, and not in like a guilty pleasure sort of thing, but lately I find myself wondering about the decision process behind what gets this treatment and pondering, are we going too far? Is this game good, enjoyable at least, or just an attempt to capitalize on the brand name for a second dipping into the money pile?  

The story is essentially that of the movie it’s based on, squeezed down into 10 levels of key events that have been slightly reshaped to fit into the genre. This game is somewhat of a beat ‘em up with lightsabers and blasters, but throw in some troublesome platforming as well as a couple of moderately fun vehicle sections. Characters level up, we have a combo system, and an array of force powers that vary in effectiveness, making it sound like Jedi Power Battles has a lot going on under the hood, but I’m not sure it all works well together.

No One Can Kill a Jedi 

This game originally came out on the PlayStation and Dreamcast 25 years ago, so most people won’t be too surprised when I say that the gameplay is incredibly clunky. It’s a good word to describe the game overall, even if there are worse offenders, much of the jumping, sliding, and fighting mechanics manage to fluctuate between incredibly stiff and loose, especially in situations where players are fighting on small platforms or leaping directly into a battle. The number of times I accidentally slid off a ledge. There are many cheap deaths when it comes to getting stunned into place, falling – sometimes from short distances, even though the double jump would make it – or like when the boss kept knocking me out of bounds so I’d have to restart the encounter with less health. I spent way too much time yelling, “How did that happen!?” Players will feel betrayed by the targeting system, especially controlling characters who use blasters, invisible walls and collision mishaps will punish people as well, and as effective as parrying incoming fire is, there’s just no guarantee it’ll work even when executed properly. I often felt like it was eating some of my inputs, just to round out the disconnect between me, the controller, and this game.

It’s easy to wander into the wrong spot and fail an objective, while failure sometimes means being sent back to the beginning of a stage or dropped into an annoying situation, sacrificing those limited lives to a frustrating death loop. There are checkpoints, a good number of them in some stages, but they feel dangerous as some will save right when you touch them, even if you’re being attacked, or sometimes respawn enemies that had previously been killed before touching the marker. Most enemies are pretty standard, but they’re powerful in great numbers unless the good force powers are getting thrown around. A few enemies are especially annoying, like the drones and other flyers, and the bosses are a genuine mixed bag. Some of them are too easy, and one or two are genuinely kind of enjoyable to fight, but I had a couple of instances where I thought my strategy was working because it looked like I was doing damage, only to find out there were much quicker and easier ways to handle them. Sadly, I don’t think any memorable, even Darth Maul.

Sort of a product of the time, but there were multiple times I wished this game offered a little more instruction. Mostly with the smaller things, or figuring out the path the stage wanted me to take, but there are bigger instances. Thankfully, someone in my stream encouraged me to try to get into the tank again, because I didn’t think you could at first and was trying to do that section the hard way. Later in the game, there were these large fans and it took a good bit of trial and error to realize I had to shoot multiple panels to cross safely. A few prompts go a long way.

Always Two There Are

The game can be quite difficult, sometimes in a challenging way, but more often it feels super cheap. It has an arcade feel, complete with tricks to peel away players’ lives. Combat seemed easier when we took our time and mastered the block, deflecting enemy fire back and whittling down their numbers. Co-op seems like the way to play here if you have a Padawan, but I think my wife is upset at me now for making her spend several hours going through this. That experience seems more enjoyable, at first at least, but it has its own issues, past simply having to share a pool of lives. It’s easy to push your partner off-screen or leave them behind, costing another life, and it makes the jumps in certain levels tougher. Having two targets will sometimes make the enemies – especially certain bosses – act erratically, to the point they are harder to predict and deal with. The camera is an issue in single-player, keeping some of the enemies out of sight and reach, hiding the path for already confusing objectives, and making it harder to guard against blaster fire, but it can also mess up jumps in co-op playthroughs. There are foreground elements as well, like windows and columns that look neat but make it much harder to see in combat.

The company behind this re-release, Aspyr, tries to preserve much of the original experience, opting not to change most elements, which probably also helps with cost. The minor alterations are welcomed, mostly adjustments to the control scheme (button swaps really), unlocking some levels and characters from the beginning, and adding in even more ridiculous (mostly useless) people to play as, like a Tusken Raider or even Jar Jar (but why?). The big update for fans will be in the visuals, not the settings themselves. Resolutions are improved and textures have seen a massive upgrade, but even the pre-rendered cutscenes still look just like the PS1 glory days. It’s charming, but also a bit of a letdown. This is less of a remaster and more like a simple, yet solid port.

Not changing much means that more of the flaws carried over also. I had several glitches, my favorite being it respawning me with just a lower body or no character model at all for a few seconds or until I picked up an item. Some animations seemed messed up, like droids crumpling in on themselves, but maybe that’s just robot humor and I don’t get it. Although the game has an excellent soundtrack, featuring that “Duel of the Fates” song (the best part of the film), there were numerous audio glitches. They take voice lines from the movie as well as iconic sound effects, but get ready to hear them way too often, as that nostalgic tingle will wear off quickly on most stages. Also, what is this noise Yoda is making every time I pick up items or health? It’s like he’s horny or something.

A Master and an Apprentice

Jedi Power Battles has its fans, some people have plenty of good memories attached to this title, and that’s great for them. If someone does like it, there’s a lot to do. We have the ten levels that are easily replayable, some extra missions that act as alternate modes or mini-games, like batting Jar Jar around a soccer pitch, plus practice levels and a versus mode where players can battle each other. There are a few dumb cheat codes for some dull entertainment also. My wife accidentally turned on Big Head Mode and we thought it was a glitch at first, but there are other body parts to play with too.

Here we have a game that’s mostly a trip down memory lane for many people, either remembering how much a licensed game can feel like shovelware, or just how frustrating platforming from that era could be. This doesn’t mean there isn’t some enjoyment to be had, especially with the lower price point, but I also can’t imagine putting too much more time into Jedi Power Battles after everything is unlocked. Maybe I enjoyed this one more when I rented it back in the day, but I have no desire to relive it or the film to completion anytime soon.

Disclaimer: The publisher through a PR representative provided the game used for this review.

This review is the critique and thoughts of one writer. If you want to see how other critics felt then check it out on OpenCritic.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PC)

6

OK

6.0/10

Pros

• Improved graphical presentation.
• Duel of the Fates.
• Better with a co-op partner

Cons

• Co-op has its own issues that make it annoying.
• New additions are a letdown.
• Difficulty often feels cheap.
• Several glitches and technical hang-ups.